Forever Flustered (Flyboys #30)

Chapter 1

ARCHANGEL

This was a mistake.

Life.

Work.

Thinking he could somehow reach Bode – his brother – but that had backfired spectacularly.

They never talked about their relationship, never admitted that they were family because it could cause problems, and they had enough of them to last generations – or it could simply die off with them, Elijah thought as his phone rang, walking into the office to do some much-needed and never-ending paperwork.

Yanking up the receiver, he answered it in true ‘Hall-Family’ fashion.

“What?”

Silence hung for less than a second – and then he heard it.

“Seriously?” A voice sounded on the other end of the line – cold, arrogant, and unfamiliar. “If you are putting your butt in my chair, using my phone, and trying to hold my team together. You could at least have the decency to act like a leader – not a mistake.”

Elijah hesitated while his brain immediately went into full throttle, accessing every avenue and scrap of information that he could to determine who this was… because it sure wasn’t Piranha. She would have laughed and then lobbed some mental grenade at him before hanging up.

This was a guy and… and this was a private line.

“Who is this?”

“Great,” the voice drawled out coolly. “Reilly is finally gone, and my replacement leaves in time for some newbie to take over – well, that sounds just about right…”

“I’m not a newbie and…”

“I’m not finished,” the voice interrupted again – even icier than before. “Respect your elders, boy… and listen up.”

Elijah pulled back the receiver, staring at it in shock and amazement, before putting it back to his head to hear what this person had to say – grinning at the obvious arrogance coming through the line. That was fine – two could play this game.

“The team just got a phone call from Banshee…”

Elijah’s mouth dropped open in shock as his eyes immediately turned toward the open doorway nearby, almost as if he’d see the man appear in that instant.

Banshee was Sidewinder’s wingman.

Sidewinder was the call sign of his little brother Bode, who was doing everything he could to burn the world down around him.

His brother needed attention, therapy, and a swift kick in the butt…

probably all three things – but then again, didn’t they all after growing up like they had.

He wouldn’t wish his childhood on his worst enemy.

The irony wasn’t lost on him that because of his childhood, his own brother thought Elijah was the enemy.

“Sidewinder is here…”

“Who is this?” Elijah interrupted again, pointedly.

“Things happen fast here, so you are going to listen to me very carefully and follow my directions – or you’ll miss his wedding.”

“Whose wedding?” Elijah retorted and then hesitated. “Sidewinder? He’s not getting married. No one would ever…” and he paused, hearing a scuffle as someone else got on the phone, speaking to him. What in the world was happening, and how did they get this number?

“Archangel, it’s a long story, but you need to act fast - or you’ll regret it.”

“Are you threatening me?”

Again – another scuffle before the first voice got back on the line.

“I’m not going to repeat myself,” the voice began.

“Your flight leaves in four hours if you can be ready – and hopefully you won’t miss Sidewinder’s wedding.

” There was something about that tone – the staggering amount of confidence – that made him hesitate once more as he listened.

“I know Piranha believes in you, which is why we’ve reached out. Family is everything and…”

“I know that,” Elijah interrupted tersely.

“Then get your butt on that flight – and we’ll pick you up at the airport. Your ticket is in your email and…”

“Who. Is. This?” Elijah bit out pointedly, already unlocking his computer to see his emails populating as they loaded on the screen… and paused. He straightened up, hesitating, as all the pieces began to click together.

“Reaper – the man who held that seat before Piranha ever did, and I’ve got Thumper beside me. Now, if you are done focusing on the little details, let’s talk about the biggest threat to this plan right now – time.”

“Why is time a threat?”

“Because it’s a long flight to Yonder – and your brother met someone yesterday.

I need you to drop the ego, quit playing games, and listen to the big boys who orchestrated most of what’s about to happen,” the voice said evenly, and that arrogant tone was still present, just not as snide as before.

“You’re taking a chance at missing your brother getting married if you don’t hurry…

or if you drag your feet – because let me tell you, nobody gets out of this unscathed… not even your brother.”

Yonder.

His brother’s final words replayed in his mind once more…

“I’m going to go visit my former wingman…”

Sidewinder had told him while handcuffed to a chair by security for insubordination – and to prevent him from doing any further harm to his career.

The Air Force had given him a path, a home, when they both didn’t really have one to return to – so no, he wasn’t going to let his younger brother self-implode any further. Not if he could help it.

“He lives in some little Texas town called Yonder and…”

“Oh man,” Elijah had scoffed at the idea of his brother going there – especially after Piranha had told him about all of the previous pilots visiting and returning married.

Rubbing his forehead, he frowned. He didn’t believe her, but obviously his brother had fallen for that bit of malarky - and he’d said as much to his brother’s face.

“I heard about that whole thing from Piranha. I don’t think you are cut out for marriage material or…”

“I’m suspended. I get it. Do your douchebag-duty that you enjoy ever so much… but do not judge me. You don’t know what I’m cut out for or capable of – nor have you ever given me a chance in my entire life. Permission to leave, sir.”

Bode/Sidewinder had yelled at him, losing his temper once again.

His brother was so prickly, so defensive; he wasn’t sure any woman would put up with him or his attitude…

and the childish display before him had been proof of that as Bode rose to his feet, taking the chair up with him because of the handcuffs.

“I’d salute, but I can’t right now. I mean, I could, but I think giving my commanding officer the middle finger while in handcuffs after being suspended is a bit much – even for me. Who knew – I actually have limits. Can you believe that?”

His brother was going to give him the finger.

Yeaaah, things did not go well for them during their last conversation - heck, during any of their conversations.

Reconciliation felt so far away during that moment that Elijah didn’t even speak as Bode had stormed out – chair, handcuffs, and all.

That was not one of his prouder moments…

and not one he would forget anytime soon.

The voice on the phone was still talking.

“Tell them it’s a family emergency,” Reaper was saying to him on the phone. “And hurry because Paradox is a ordained minister and this usually happens pretty fast. Trust me – I married my wife after meeting her on a three-hour flight.”

Elijah closed his eyes as his mind screamed in denial mixed with his sense of duty. He had so much to handle here, so much to take care of, still dealing with his parents, plus getting his footing with the new team.

Ha.

His new team that had just found out that you could talk down to your supervisor publicly - thanks to Bode. This meant that others would be testing the boundaries that his own brother had so carefully annihilated with his foul mouth during a meeting… but it was his brother.

His only brother.

If he ever wanted to have a relationship with the one person who he’d always tried to protect and somehow failed, Elijah needed to make the first move knowing how stubborn Bode could be… and if he missed the wedding because of work?

Bode would never let Elijah forget it.

“I’m on my way.”

Less than twenty-four hours later, Elijah was walking through a small airport in Tyler, Texas, with his rucksack pulling on his shoulder, and spotted two men in Air Force dress uniforms waiting.

One was standing there with brownish-black hair and a pair of aviator sunglasses perched on his nose – a nose that he was obviously looking down upon the rest of the earth with that cold expression.

He was standing beside another guy who looked approachable – like a favorite uncle or dad…

Not that I ever had one, Elijah thought bitterly, but if I did – it would be nice if they were friendly and didn’t immediately turn to whuppin’ some kid’s butt the first chance they got, like my own dad used to do. Been there – done that – and I could pass on that ever happening again…

“Archangel?”

“In the flesh,” Elijah replied simply. “I assume you are Reaper and Thumper?”

“You’re late – and yes.”

“My plane had a delay,” he began as Thumper interrupted, shaking his hand in greeting before Reaper did the same.

“We need to hurry because they are getting married this morning.”

“Which is why we are in our dress blues – let’s go.”

Yep, these two men were efficient and on a mission…

a mission he was grateful for because without their forward thinking, putting family first, and looking out for another fellow pilot - Elijah might have missed his own brother’s wedding.

Walking quickly, the trio hurried out of the small airport and climbed into a nearby car.

Elijah listened as the duo gave him a quick rundown of what the last two days had entailed…

and, surprisingly enough, a staggeringly quick recap of how Flyboys came to be.

Years ago, after watching a pilot’s plane get shot down in Afghanistan under Thumper’s watch, an unexpected idea had taken shape.

Elijah could see that it still bothered Thumper to have lost someone under his watch, hearing it in his voice as he spoke, but there was something more there.

Pride - that they were slowly building something greater while still trying to hang onto that bond that Thumper’s old team had once had.

Reaper had been a part of that team and stepped forward after Thumper left the Air Force, holding it all together once again until he was able to come home late last year.

Then Piranha took over the team - until last week, when Elijah stepped into the role.

It was strange to see how time could unfurl, how things overlapped and took place even while the world continued around you – and he felt this in his soul.

Duty never ended. Obligations never faded.

Even while stationed elsewhere, it felt like no matter how hard he tried to get away from his past, it was still there festering, waiting to crop up again and again…

and he swallowed back the bitterness in his throat at the wash of memories.

Sometimes Elijah wondered if Bode felt the same way – like nothing was ever good enough, or that family was a burden that you had to handle.

His father felt that way. His mother had ridden right along on the man’s coattails, egging him on.

They thought alike, pushed each other to be meaner, stronger, or more aggressive…

and their only two children had plenty of trauma to show for it.

Not everyone had scars that were visible.

Sometimes they were deeper, having shaped their own thoughts and opinions into a protective coping mechanism… of sorts.

It was sad.

‘Sad’ however was now in charge… and hated by everyone.

Crap…

Clearing his throat as the car slowed down to a crawl before pulling into what looked like a gravel road surrounded by fields, Elijah saw the hangar in the distance and smiled.

Kids grew up and got bigger toys, he thought silently, remembering his love for those ten-cent balsa wooden airplanes they used to sell at the grocery store.

Anytime he found a penny on the ground, he’d save them up and get a new plane…

usually because the other one had crashed or had been smashed for failing to do something around the house.

Just as that thought hit him, staring out the window as the car came to a stop…

something else popped up on his internal radar.

Her…?

Who was that woman?

NO! His brain screamed aloud in his head – so violent and vibrant that he was pretty sure the other men around him could hear it. Reaper turned to look at him and lifted an eyebrow… and immediately Elijah wished the seat would eject him through the sunroof of the car.

“Let’s go, fellas,” Thumper said, breaking the silence. “I think they are getting ready to start. Paradox is practically preening, and you know how his ego gets when he thinks he’s the center of attention…”

“Heaven help us all,” Reaper muttered, chuckling.

“No help – but the big dork probably thinks they’re listening as he presides over Sidewinder’s vows.”

This was really happening.

My brother is getting married… and I’m actually in Texas to see it, Elijah thought in disbelief as a wave of recognition washed over him.

He’d never been a religious man because, in his mind, growing up like they did would never have been condoned by a higher power - but sitting here like this sure made you think differently.

He was independent, assigned to a base on the other side of the world, and yet that hadn’t changed things.

He was being given the chance to reunite with his brother, a second chance to repair all those broken fences between them.

If all of that didn’t scream ‘fate’, ‘divinity’, ‘blessings’, or whatever you wanted to call it…

His thoughts faded away as his eyes turned of their own accord to look toward the lovely woman who’d caught his attention a moment ago. She was gone.

Good, he thought, getting out of the car. I need to stay focused and really don’t need to make the same mistakes as my parents did. Nobody deserved to deal with someone who isn’t fully committed, and I don’t have time for that.

Standing, Elijah straightened his uniform and followed Thumper and Reaper to take his place, mentally preparing to surprise his brother – Bode ‘Sidewinder’ Hall.